Arts Focus: International talent comes to the Bay

John Tarlton is exhibiting at CAN.

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CAN general manager Lisa Feyen.

John Tarlton is exhibiting at CAN.

by Lisa Feyen

The latest new work to arrive at CAN is from the studio of an international New Zealand artist now living in Napier.

John Tarlton's paintings and prints fit outside the norm of traditional figurative and landscape motif found in much of New Zealand painting.

He sees himself as a storyteller, whose works are organic in their creation. He doesn't use sketchbooks to develop his concepts. Instead, he chooses to start with a single image that takes his fancy and then lets the narrative build from there.

The stories grow as he makes connections. Throughout the works humour, pun and satire are used to titillate the viewers' reading.

John Tarlton first exhibited his art in New Zealand in the heady Auckland art scene of the mid-70s. Since then he has had numerous solo fine art shows in New Zealand, Australia and the United States, as well as pursuing many years of active practice as a lecturer, academic and art educator.

His work is represented in several private collections and the public collections of Te Papa, Auckland City Art Gallery, Rotorua City Art Gallery, Waikato Museum of History and Art, Te Manawa (Museum of Art Science History, Palmerston North), University of Auckland and the State University of New York at Alban.

A California-born New Zealander, John received degrees in fine art at the undergraduate and graduate levels from the State University of New York at Albany and also studied for a year with Rudi Gopas, William Sutton and Philip Trusttum at the University Of Canterbury School Of Fine Arts (Ilam) in 1972. In addition, he holds a PhD in Vocational Art Education from Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia.

John will be jointly celebrating the opening of his exhibition on Friday, October 29 at 5pm-7pm with fellow Napier artist Fred Ellison who will be exhibiting his work in the Main Gallery.

Fred has entitled his exhibition Multifariosarty due to its wide ranging subject matter and style. He has a playful approach, taking inspiration from British artist David Hockney who works out many of his compositions and plans his method using an iPad.

Fred embraces technology and uses his tablet as a tool to explore the many variations and possibilities before he even picks up his brush. The result is an ambiguous mix that plays with perception, leaving the viewer to subjectively unravel the narrative and process.

Fred spent his career as a tour travel operator, taking groups of tourists to exotic places around the world. His time spent visiting every major gallery he encountered on those trips has meant that many of his abstracts and landscapes are reminders of time spent in other parts of the world, inspired by some of the masterpieces he has viewed.

In the CAN foyer, enjoy works by young rising star Georgia Andersen and Sacred Heart College art teacher Sandra Howlett.

Georgia's exhibition Staged Comfort is a vibrant ode to pop art infused with the emotional entanglement of teen angst. Georgia describes staged comfort as the idea of trying to make sense of emotions as they are within all of us, just in different forms.

Through this exhibition, Georgia hopes the viewer can find meaning and comfort through what is in their own head.

For Sandra, the title of her exhibition Dialogue has a dual concept. Her work centres around the land that we take for granted. There needs to be greater dialogue to ensure that what we have stays for the future generations that follow us. We are merely caretakers of it. She asks, 'What physical and metaphorical footprints are we leaving?'

Sandra's work, both in paint and 3D, makes use and repurposes discarded objects, such as tiles and mirrors, switchboards and other technological detritus. She reinvents this into art, which is displayed alongside playful textural collage pieces that explore surface and form.

Term 4 classes start this week, so try your luck and see if you can grab a last-minute spot on the CAN evening classes in experimental printmaking at CAN or Keirunga Creative Hub, or a morning class in sewing.

All CAN classes are tutored by experienced artists qualified in their field, and offer a fun way to learn a new skill with relaxed step-by-step guidance. Call 06 835 9448 or email bookings@thecan.co.nz to find out more, or check the CAN website www.thecan.co.nz.

I try not to think about this too much, but Christmas is just about looming on the horizon. So, artists, it's time to book your spot for the CAN Christmas Makers Market, choosing from either a wall space and/or table to display your handcrafted wares for four weeks over the holiday period.

The space hire fee is affordable and includes full marketing of the event and a grand opening preview event to entice Christmas shoppers to fill their stockings with NZ made, quality pieces. Locally made art is not stuck in containers on the ocean, it's right here at CAN. Contact us and show us what you create today.

Thank you to everyone, from near and far, who explored the delights our artists in the Bay had to offer last weekend on the annual Hawke's Bay Art Trail. We hope you all had a ball! Tell all your friends and make this your go-to event for labour weekend every year.

■ We look forward to welcoming you to CAN, 16 Byron St, on your next visit. Ask us about the benefits of becoming a Friend of CAN, and don't forget we are open seven days per week from Monday to Saturday, 10am-4pm and Sunday, 10am-2pm. As CAN is a registered charity, donations are always welcome. Info: 835-9448, thecan.co.nz or Facebook.